The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-12-14


thirty-one 10 thirty-tnree, and forty-four to
fifty-two.
ILLUSTRATIVE SCRIPTURE READINGS
For home study and family worship.)
T. Parallels-Mark 4: 30-32; Luke ID: 49,
81.
w. Rapid Growth at Pentecost Acts 2:
4. Rapid Growth in Samaria. Acts 8: SIT.
f. Rapid Growth at Ephesus. Acts 10: IL
& The Increase from God Cor. 3: 10
The Pearl of Wisdom Prov 3: 1924
NOTES.
" 81 Tut forth unto Set before. Them.
The seaside congregation Mustard seed.
The seed of the mustard plant, the smallness
Luke II: O.
v. 81. Least Of all seeds We are not to
infer that the mustard seed is the least of all
seeds in the world, but it was the smallest
used by husbandmen in their sowing, and
| probably the smallest that produced 80 large
a plant Greatest among herbs. Greatest
| among its own class, and SO great that it out
grows ordinary herb plants, and becomes
tree. birds. lodge. Rest upon its boughs,
| or build their nests among its branches,
thus showing the strength and sturdiness of
the plant. In this parable we have repre-
scented the planting and growth Of the Re-
deemers klngdom-L c., from small begin
nings to large developments. The whole
history OF the church is an expressive testi-
mony to tho truth OF Chrlsts teaching
| Think of the multitudes of Christian believ-
| ers to-day, in comparison with the few fisher
| men who first obeyed the call Of Jesus and
| entered His service.
v. So Ledyem Fermentcd dough, which,
| like yeast, ferments the flour into which it is
| put Three measures. Something more than
bushei- IA large quantity to be affected by
small lump of leaven. The teaching of
| this parable is generally regarded to be the
| same as that of the preceding one, and shows
| how Christianity, with its small and obscure
| hldings OF power, will eventually pervade the
whole race OF mankind. Some regard the
| parable as representing the progress of evil
| III the world, inasmuch as leaven is an ele-
| ment of corruption, and is elsewhere spoken
OF in that sense. But such an Interpretation
| Is scarcely in harmony with the purpose of
| parallels. Jesus and Satan are both rep
resented in Scripture by "lion," but surely
not III the same sense
vs.. 4S, 40 Gather into. :. cast dlCdu 1t
will be readily seen that the teaching of this
| parable IS to be the same general purpose as
| that of the tares; and it is probably intro
| duced here in order that Jesus might end his
discourse. with another solemn alusion to the
| end OF the word, which shall be time of
| gathering and separation.
V. 80 Furnace Of fire A description in
| keeping with the burning of the tares, and in
volving not simply separation, but destruc-
ton WaHinG etc. Expressive of sorrow
and torment
v. 81. Hare ye understood. Jesus is anxious
that his truth shall not only be heard but be
| understood.
V. SO. Every scribe. Every one who deals
| with law Instructed unto the kingdom. Dis
cipled unto the kingdom, and therefore rightly
| Informed concerning 1T OUL Of his treasure
Out of his knowledge of Bible truth. The
| Bible is q treasure house, full of wonderful
things that are both "old and new" Ac-
quaintance with the Word of God is sure
source of interest to ourselves and to others
| LESSON TOPICS.
| /. The Mustard Seed Very small Is the
mustard seed, but it is a seed, and seed is
most wonderful thing, for in it Is wrapt a
| germ OF life. Strange from what small be-
glnnings do great things grow, and the hum
blest beginnings have the things with the
| highest destiny. or all the creatures that
are born into this world, pulling human in
FAINT is by long odds the most helpless, and
yet 1t ID the only creature that can climb
above the stars.
Even 80, there is no nob.er growth than that
OF religion III the human soul; and yet, at Its
implanting, il only exists as an infniteslmal
| germ-the smallest of all seeds. And yet,
day by day, 1t mysteriously grows. The dew
falls upon It, and the sunshine and the rain,
until, by and by, 1t towers aloft in beautiful
symmetry and matchless strength. So like
wise is the development of Christianity in the
world. Very obscure aud insignificant was
that early Christian church that was planted
at Jerusalem-little as a grain of mustard seed,
but wondrously it grew-grew as the mus
| tard seed-grew as the banyan tree-striking
| down as we'll as springing up, and from in
| Vulnerable new centers spreading abroad it's
branches until the world is being covered
with Its benetcent shadow.
2. The leaven. -Commentators upon this
! parable are accustomed to find in it sugges-
| tive lessons as to the way In which the grace
! of God diffuses itself through all the faculties
of single human SOUL az we'll as through
communities and nat MISUNDERSTANDING, mys-
| terlousIy, pervasive, resistlessly.
j. The hid treasure, and the goodly pearl
| The commentators make a subtle dstlnc-
ton between the teachings of these two par
ables, and no doubt there is distinction
with a difference, the most palpable being
| this: that in the case of the treasure hid in
the field, the man, as it were, stumbles upon
| 1t, while in the case of the pearl the mer-
chairman had definite purpose, and in the
prosecution OF that purpose found pearl
that was exceeding precious Even 80 In
the matter OF religion, there are some that
seem to stumble on 1t, and thus illustrate
| that Scripture which says, Il was found of
them that sought me not" while other souls
of greater moral earnestness, dissatisfied with
all earthly baubles, and seeking after some
thing nobler and better, the Lord meets and
reveals TO them the rich treasures Of His
grace.
But the two parallels have several things
in common that we may profitably ponder
The treasure and the pearl alike declare the
preciousness of the gospel And in the case
of each the price of possession is the renun-
citation of all things else. "He went and sold
all that he had and bought it,"
There IL a sense in which tho blessings OF
salvation are free as the light and the air.
without money and without price"-such is
the gospel proffer-and yet unless we give up
all for Christ, and all to Christ, we cannot
have the treasure or the pearl.
4. The net cast into the sea- Here is sure
ly representation of the visible church on
earth, for into it are gathered OF every
kind" Such is an accurate description of
almost any church of any considerable size.
Some of us have seen what a heterogeneous
| lot of fish are inclosed by an ordinary drag
net when il is drawn ashore-big fish, little
fish, scaly fish, Shiny fish, fish good for food,
and fish good for nothng-such have been
the contents. And we have witnessed also
the sorting process, and seen the better sort
put by themselves, and the worthless cast
away to rot
SO shall it be in the end of the world The
net at last shall be drawn ashore. And then
it shall be with the fishes, good and bad, as
we saw it to he with the tares and the wheat
Here, az there, the angels are represented az
effectng the separat on aud in both cases
fiery doom is represented as awaiting the I'M
godly.
Subject for le sson for Dec o. @The Child
of Promise. Isaiah q: q.
CoRLIss, the great engine builder